Door locks or latches



June 14, 1960 H. THORNE DOOR LOCKS OR LATCHES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 26. 1956 June 14, 1960 H. THQRNE 2,940,788

DOOR LOCKS 0R LATCHES Filed Oct. 26-. 1956 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 58 60 I 7 f g 1 L 31 61 62 i #2 I g I 64 52 I L1. 63 a 6 --69 68 54 6 I c -67 66 52 j w 72' 72 I ii June '14, 1960 H. THORNE 2,940,788

DOOR LOCKS OR LATCHES Filed Oct. 26. 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 96 M 102 mm "P United States Patent DOOR LOCKS R LATCHES Harold Thorne, 12 Cadogan Garden, London, England Filed Oct. 26, 1956, Scr. No. 618,610 Claims priority, application Great Britain Nov. 23, 1955 8 Claims. (Cl. 292-1) This invention relates to door locks or latches adapted for operation by handles on both sides of the door and particularly those used in the doors of motor road vehicles, and the invention will be described hereinafter in connection with such latches.

It is usual to provide some means for deadlocking the latch from the interior of a car so that operation by the exterior handle is prevented.

The invention is particularly concerned with child safety means which are brought into operation during the running of the car and which prevent actuation of a latch from the interior of the car so that the drivers attention is not distracted from his control of the car. To this end, the deadlocking of a latch for child safety is only releasable by actuation of the exterior handle. Such an arrangement is described in the specification of my prior application No. 547,620, now Patent Number 2,877,044, issued March 10, 1959, in connection with latches in which the outer handle incorporates a press button means.

The object or" the present invention is to provide improved child safety means applicable to latches operated by other than press button means.

A further object is to provide emergency means adapted automatically to release the child safety deadlocking means on impact occurring in either direction.

The invention consists in a car lock or latch adapted to be operated by an inner handle and an outer handle, wherein child safety means are provided for deadlocking the inner handle and which are brought into operation by a movement of the inner handle in a reverse direction to normal, release of the deadlocking means to be effected by the normal operation of the outer handle. The release of the child safety means may be also effected automatically by means brought into operation by impact of the car in either direction.

The child safety means may comprise an element pivotally mounted on a horizontal or other suitable axis.

The child safety means may comprise a pivotally mounted weighted latch element. Alternatively, an independent pivotally mounted weighted release member may be provided.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is an elevation of a lock having the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on Figure l;

Figure 3 is a plan;

Figure 4 is a view of a detail of the child safety device;

Figure 5 is an elevation of a modified form of child safety device;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of an inner handle construction;

Figure 7 is an elevation of another form of lock having a child safety means applied thereto;

Figure 8 is an elevation at right angles to Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a plan of Figure 7;

the line 22 of .23 is provided with a weight 23a. 7

by a screw 24 (see Figure 4) located in a hole in-the Patented June 14, 1 9 6Q Figure 10 is an elevation of a modification showing a I an inner lever handle and a sill-button anti-theft lock,

see Figures l4, a pivotally mounted bell crank pawl lever is provided with an upwardly extending pawl arm 1 adapted for engagement with the teeth of a star wheel 7 2 integral or fixed to a rotary bolt. This pawl arm 1 carries a stud or projection 3. The other arm 4 of the bell crank extends horizontally and co-operates with a stop 4a. The bell crank lever 1, 4 is pivoted on .a pin 5. A push button lever is pivoted on the same pin 5 as the bell crank 1, 4 and has a downwardly extending arm 6 for engagement by the push button 6a. The push button lever also has an upwardly extending arm 7 which has a horizontal slot 8 into which the stud 3 extends to provide a lost motion connection between the push button lever 6, 7 and the bell crank 1, 4. Located above these levers 6, 7 and 1, 4 is a locking lever. pivoted on the pin 9 and lying more or less horizontally. This locking lever, having arms 18 and 11, is operable from the interior of the car by a sill button, the stem 12 of which engages the hole 12a in the arm 11 and is adapted upon anti-clockwise rotation to engage by a flange 13 on the arm 10 or lie in the path of the upper end 14' of the arm of the push button lever 6, 7 whereby the latter is locked against operation by the push button.

The above lovers: 1, 4; 6, 7 and 10, 11 lie in planes transverse of the plane of the car door, and in the plane of the door, a lock release bell crank lever is pivotally mounted on pin 15. This lock releasebell crank lever has an arm 16 the end of which is recessed and in cooperative eugagement with the arm 11 of the locking lever 10, 11. A second arm 17 of this lock release bell crank extends downwardly and the end 18 thereof is adapted to be engaged by a projection 19 on the arm 20 of an inner lever handle bell crank lever pivoted on pin 21, whereby on operating the inner handle for normal operation the locking lever 10, 11 will be moved to its release position.

The inner handle bell crank has a horizontally extending arm 22 which underlies the horizontal arm 4 of the pawl bell crank lever 1, 4 whereby on actuation of release position which will occur without movement ,of

v the press button lever 6, 7 owing to the lost motion connection 3, 8 hereinbefore referred to. V ,Associated with the horizontal arm 22 of the inne handle bell crank 20, 22 is a child safety arm 23 which is pivotally mounted upon a horizontal axis. The arm The pivot is formed lock casing 25 and threaded through a sleeve 26.

The arm 23 is provided with an aperture 23b of larger diameter than the outer diameter of the sleeve 26 so that the arm is freely mounted on the sleeve and a light coiled spring 27 surrounds the sleeve and is located between the arm and the casing. the parts in position.

The arm 23 is slotted at 3%) to provide a shoulder 31 with which a pin 32 on the arm 22 is adapted to cooperate.

The arm 23 is provided with a spur 33 which lies over oflfset portion 4' of the arm 4 of hell crank 1, 4 and a second spur 34 adapted for engagement by the projection 19 on the arm 20 of the inner handle bell" crank lever.

A washer 28 and nut 29 holds 35 a'lso'ha's a release'spur 38'for engagement by the'arm.

9 2 5 5 49 Pfismentsthebimetlc be pressed-hut. 7g

. nder n rma oper io t ner, handle which turns the lever 20, 22'clockwise the pin or projection 32 moves upwardly, but when the inner handle is moved m-g n. no mal: ,r sitio n everse direction turning the antic k is he'p n 32 mQYdif downwardly to engage beneath the shoulder 3'1 on the. shildrsaie w-am est/ en. the la e is 'P Y9 Y;

engagement of projection 19 with the spur 34.

Manual release of theflchild safety? arm 23' is. effected causes the horizontal arm 4 of' thepawl bellflcrank to riseg(thr llgh jthe engagement of the pin 3 withtheend of gtheslot-S) and iengagethespur 33 on the child safety? arm and'pivot saidarm. ,Thisaction moves the .by the; operation of the outer push; button 6a which shoulder Bli-Sidewaysf and allows thearm 22'to rise and the inner handle to return to normal,

The child safety arm.23 when in its operativepositioniisqalsoadapted for automatic release should ime pact occur in either direction in a direction at right arm'23ioperating as a pendulum; This automatic release is. "effegted'lby'a swing of thearm23 on its horizontal.

pivbt hausing-idisengagement-of the pin 32 andshoulder, 31 which permits a movement of the bell crank lever 1 522 underthe'actionxof the usual spring.42b (Fig. '5 '6)!:on'th inner-.handle'41,'such movement bringing the belli-crank'.lever 20, :22 and inner handle 41 to the thief 'proo locked position, from which .the inner handle j may-now bemoved manually to the open position.

'At fth'e same time the mounting of .the child sai'ety!v arm-"permits an' automatic side wise movement (by the "spring-mounting 26, 27) should impact occur in this angles :to itsw pivot by utilising the inertia effect of ,the I 20 direction, such movement resulting indisengagement'of i lthe' piii' and shoulder 32, 31a'nd release of the inner handle bell crank 20, 22.

. fA'cco'i'ding' to a modified form-of child safety device, .seelFigure' 5 an' arnr'35 is pivotally mounted at"3,6.; 'I'h-'-arnihas a triangular projection '37 adapted for en gagemenffwith theprojection 32' of arm 22. The arm 4 er "hell rr-11 1111, 4.

42c, and in' such "position of the center recess against the action of the spring 42b, and to the measure corresponding to the l0ck'edposi tion or the recess 42f corresponding to'the open position. To return the' handle to the closed position, it must be operated manually, and this may be regarded as normal operation of the handle. j r 7 7 When the inner handle 41 is moved beyond the locked position to the child ,safetyposition, thepart 42d will be brought. into engagement with they spring pressed pin the inner handle 41"w-ill be locked against return movement by the' child safety member 23 (Fig. 2), and thuscannot be moved manually to unlock the door from inside the vehicle. Upon 're lease'of the member 23; by impact occurring or actuation .of the outer handle, the inner handle will be free to return and such return Will be efiected by the spring 42b moving the pin 420 along the part 42d, and pivoting the ,handle; 41 until thehandle reaches the locked position, whereupon the pin will enter :the' recess 42e and retain the handle in suchposition from which it maynow be moved manually to the open position,

2 According to a modifiedform of lock-or latch see 3 Figures 7-9 inewhich the outer handle is ofthe pivoted lever type, sueh handle operates :to actuate a pin 50 e which engages in a slot 51 in a 'rectilinearly movable platej52which has a pro ection 53 adapted-to engage a downwardly projecting arm 54 0f a spring biased pawlplate 55 pivoted at 56. This'plate has an upwardly projecting' pawl 57 for actuating a stargwheel 5s which is operativelyengaged with thelocking pinion. The pawl plate 55 also has an arm 59 located at about 260 from' the pawl arm'57.

The inner handlev is connected for remote control by a link- 60 tosa bell crank release lever 61 pivotedat 621andhaving a horizontal arm 63 which underlies the.

The release arm' 61 also:

arm; 59 ,of the pawl plate 55:.

carries a pin 64 hereinafter referred to. 1 p

Located beneath theirelease bell-crank 61 is a dead" locking plate 65 pivoted at 65a and operable to'a dead The arr'n is maintained in a central position by n It 'will'be nofed that' 'pfrojections 32a and '37 are of- 'are'fo'pposed to one-another. 'When'th e inner handle is moved to; the fchild safety positionjthe arm 22a moves anticlockwise andthe projection 32aiwill'move' down one 'of 'the slant side's-of the triangularprojection 37 pivoting:-

againstj action of thesprin'g 39 until 37 will snap; 1 mt the positlonshown in 'I ig; 5 and lock" the bell; crank ln -the' normal operation the projection 32 'lies abnve V the triangular'projection '37 b'ut' when the inner handle 1sfmiovedin a reverse to'normal direction, the armj22'is lowered so that the projection- 32 passes beneath the projection and the child'safety arm is set. Fro ni p'o'sition the 'arm may -be' released by operation 'of v V the outer handle, or automatically 'by irnpact in either- I direction which moves the projection 37' sidewise per ugly-rear spring} 39 one end er which is secured to the arm; the other end-being anchored to'a stud 40.

1 triangular-shape and in theunlockedposition their apic es mitting the bellcrank '22 to-pivot and'projection 32' to V V V rise above the projection'37.

511563111161 "handle .41 may be connected 1 for "remote V ment tothe' open and child safety, positions 45' and 46 ybemg ,spnngreturned by spring 42b to the closed and locked positions respectively;

7 Under normal operation at the inner, handle '41, it I is moved manually from the closed position to either! the a 5 V comm} by 42 ('F1gure'6) and having known setting I" f meanscompnsmg a recessed cam-'platej42d for-holding t 1n.the closed and locked positions-43 and 44, move if -Undei normall conditions .th 1 pin face 74 fon' the child safety lever 72 which :latteris locking position by a sillbutton. similar tothe sill-button shown i F g '1- This deadlocking plate 65 is provided with oppositely disposed arms 66 and 67 having .flangesf68, 69 respective- 1y, Whenmovedto the deadlocking position by operating thejsill buttontheplateis turned clockwise so that the 'fianges 6 8-- lies inithe path of =movemetofa' spur 70v of ;thB"bll crank-release lever-61" thus deadlocking the innerjhandle: By; the same. movement the flange 69 is moved into the ,pathrof a projection 71cm" the plate 52 .thusi deadllocldng the outer push button. The inner outer;jhandle's fare thus deadlocked until released by,

movem'entj of. thewplate =65 in, anti-clockwise direction by the sill button. e j i i Mounted on .the same pivotal axis 65 as thedeadlocking platej65 is a child safety lever 72 having a: weight 72a;. Thelever'72'hasa' notch 73 adaptedto engagezthei pin 64 on thearm 63 of the release bell crank v 1 .GL-iWhen' the; latter.is movedcto thefchild safety position by the inner handle, i.e. bya movement of the handle in a reverse directionrt'onormal which causes the. release hell' cr'ank 61 to move inja 'clockwis'evdirecnon 'movingth'e pin 64 downwardly into the notch.

64 rides up a -surspring biased towards the pin.

- whenjthelffchildisafety. lever'72 is in: operation the inner handle is deadlocked and is releasable only by thef operation 'oflthefl outer handle (press button) which causes the arm 59 of the pawl plate 55 to engagesa cam. surface 75-011 the child 'safetyi, lever to move itcounterclockwise. This movement of the plate 72 releases the,

bell-lcr'ank.release '61.and permits..the inner handle, .to

open position or the lockecl or thief-proof.position,1andfi move underactuatio'n"lot spring 42b (Fig; 6) and thus.

move the ihandle t oQthe locked orthief-pro'of position from which it maybe moved rna hually 'to the. open3 position.

In the above forms of the invention, the child safety impact release means pivots on a hon'zontal axis. This however, is not essential and any other suitable angle, such as vertical, may be adopted.

Thus, according to a modified form of the previous modification see Figures -12, a sliding latch bolt 95 is operable by inner and outer lever handles through a link 96 and bell crank lever 97 respectively.

Operation of the outer handle turns the bell crank lever 97 causing one arm 98 to engage a stud 99 on the latch bolt 95 to withdraw the latter. The second arm 100 of the bell crank lever 97 has a groove 101 into which, when the bell crank is in its normal position as shown in Fig. 12 a pin 102 on a slider 103 is adapted to engage when the slider is moved to a locking position by the inner handle to lock the outer handle. Release of the outer handle is effected by returning the inner handle to normal position thus withdrawing the pin from the groove. The inner handle is connected by the link 96 to a rod 104 which carries a lateral projection 105 located in a slot 95a in the bolt for withdrawing the bolt. The slider 103 is mounted upon the rod '104 and moves therewith.

A spring biased child safety mounted on a vertical axis 107 in to the casing 115 and is provided with a detent 108 which s adapted to engage a part of the slider 103 when the inner handle is moved reversely to a position beyond that for normal locking. The catch 106 is spring biased towards the casing by spring 106a.

Release of the catch 106 is effected by operation of the outer handle which causes the arm 100 of the bell crank lever to engage a camming surface 109 on the child safety catch to pivot it about the vertical axis and release the slider 103 and inner handle. When the slider 103 is moved to the child safety position to engage detent 103, the pin 102 is moved beyond the groove 101 in the arm 100 of the outer handle bell crank lever 97 whereby the outer handle may be actuated for releasing the catch 106.

An automatic release member 110 is pivotally mounted on a vertical axis 111 on the child safety catch 106 and is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed arms 112, 113. A third arm is provided with a suitable weight 114.

On impact in one direction the release member 110 pivots about 111 causing the arm 113 to engage the slider thereby pivoting catch 106 about pivot 107 and thus move the catch detent 108 to release the slider, whereupon the slider will move nnder the action of the spring means associated with the inner handle to return the handle to the thief proof position from which it may be moved manually.

Impact in the other direction causes the arm 112 to engage a wall 115 of the lock mounting thus again pivoting the catc 110 and releasing the slider and inner handle.

I claim:

1. In a latch structure for a vehicle door and which latch structure is of: the type that is actuated by an inner handle and an outer handle, the combination including a mounting means, a movable member carried by the mounting means and operable in one position to permit opening of such a door and in another position to prevent opening of such door, a first movable means carried by the mounting means for coupling with the outer handle, said first movable means being operably coupled with the movable member to control the positions thereof to permit opening of the door by such outer handle, a second movable means carried by the mounting means for coupling with the inner handle, said second movable means being also operably coupled with the movable member so that in response to movement of the second movable means in one direction, by actuation of such inner handle in one direction, the door can be opened by catch 106 is pivotally a bracket 107a secured the inner handle, child safety deadlocking means carried by the mounting means for cooperation with the second movable means in response to movement of the second movable 111%118 in the opposite direction occasioned by opposite movement of the inner handle to lock said sec- 0nd movable means and thereby said inner handle against subsequent movement in said one direction, and means for releasing the deadlocking means from said second movable means in response to actuation'of such outer handle to open the door.

2. In a latch as claimed in claim 1 and said child safety deadlocking means comprising an arm, means loosely pivotally supporting said arm on the mounting means, interengaging locking components carried by said am and said second movable means for coupling said second movable means to said arm in response to movement of the second movable means in said opposite direction, said second movable means including a component for engaging said arm to elfect movement thereof to couple said interengaging locking components together, and the loose pivotal connection of the arm to the mounting means permitting uncoupling of said locking components in response to impact.

3. In a latch as claimed in claim 1 and said child safety deadlocking means comprising an arm, means pivotally supporting said arm on the mounting means, inter-engaging locking components carried by said arm and said second movable means for coupling said second movable means to said arm in response to movement of the second movable means in said opposite direction, and said second movable means including a component for engaging said arm to effect movement thereof to couple said inter-engaging locking components together.

4. In a latch structure for a vehicle door and which latch structure is of the type that is actuated by an inner handle and an outer handle, the combination including a mounting means, a bolt means movably carried by said mounting means, means for operably coupling the bolt means with the inner handle whereby the bolt means may be released by actuation of said inner handle, means for operably coupling the bolt means with the outer handle whereby the bolt means may be released by actuation of the outer handle, child safety deadlocking means carried by the mounting means, means for operably coupling said deadlocking means with the means operably coupling the bolt means to the inner handle, including components for setting the deadlocking means by actuation of the inner handle in a direction opposite to that necessary to open the door, and means for releasing said deadlocking means in response to actuation of the outer handle.

5. In a latch as claimed in claim 4 and said bolt means being a rotary bolt, the means operably coupling the bolt means with the inner handle including a bell crank lever pivotally connected to the mounting means, said deadlocking means comprising an arm also pivotally connected to the mounting means, inter-engaging locking means on said bell crank lever and said arm respectively, one arm of said bell crank lever having a projection thereon, said pivotally mounted arm having a surface thereon adapted to be engaged by said .projection upon movement of said one arm of the bell crank lever towards said surface, so as to move said first-mentioned arm to inter-engage said locking means when the inner handle is moved in said opposite direction, and the means operably coupling the bolt means with the outer handle including a surface engageable with said firstmentioned arm to move the same to a position to disengage said locking means.

6. In a latch as claimed in claim 5 and the means operably coupling the bolt means with the outer handle including a second bell crank lever, means pivotally connecting said second bell crank lever to said mounting means, said first mentioned arm having a spur thereon crossing the path of movement of said second bell crank 7 leviem @2-Qi'383idiseeon i bell-t cranlglever hav 1' allyficonncied :10; theimonnting means and including a tha is enease blerw h sa a espouse to aetuation oitherouter handle 10- 1 tereenga'gi glockingim n f ;7'.;Ill.,a boltmeans geompnising a, rotary bolt, a st ar -wheel se i operablyieoupling the, boltgwith thtawuter handle including s aidbell crank lever and;;& second pivotallymounted; leveijg a, pin and -slot "lost motion connection between sai d =;;bell;}1er anl lever} and said second lever permitting movement ji tthe seeond lever the means for coupling thJB rbOIt'EWiththQiiIlIlQl: handle ;ii1el uding;a second bell ver}pivotally v connected to said mounting means, i

. a 'jp votallyqmounted ,child safety: arm, carried by' the;

mounting; means-i; said j seeond bel-l prank. lever having a 1 surfaceteqgageable t i s y a m l P v said; armg in -oneedireqtion, means defining a shoulder on said child safety arm, one arm of saidsecond bell" cranke ev hay a p p is n t r fm i P andvshoulden beingenga-geable to conple the childsafety arm wjth lthe second =bell crank lever :tog prevent reverse safetymen ff-t c d bi ll a -l w trsaid t child arm also having a spur thereon the other of i said!v first-mentioned lbe i with saidspur to release theirchild safetylarminresponse V glatch meansgas claimedfimmlaim' 4 am1 said--5 toimovement of said .first ,bell 'eranlglever 'by'the llcranks lever being; engageable outer handle and; said childsafety arm havinga' weight fthereena; to impart disengaging movement between said -shoulder I and pin in response to-impaetL 81112 a latch. structure. as elaime said rotary bolt against retrograde moven -em themeans 10 eluding ,a sleeve projecting from said mounting means; said child safety. arrnbeing loosely pivoted on? saidsleeve, 7 light (spring means 'biase mounting. means to permit later snfiieient to releasethe engagemen a; in claim 47 'and cl between said arm and; a1: movement of the arm I t between said shoulder movement, oi. the -bel lcranlelever independent of: the -v-andpi11-in response. to nnpact oceurrlng intherdirection laterally of the arm. 7 a

7 References Cited in the ,fileof this patent i UNITED ,STATES 'PATENTSV Theme Mar. 10, 

